The Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur
The Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur

Author: Nili Samet

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2014-03-31

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 1575068834

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The goal of this book is to present a revised edition of the Sumerian Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur, a lament bewailing the fall of the glorious Ur III kingdom in 2004 B.C.E. Lamentation is a well-known genre in world literature. Laments of various types are part of the cultural legacy and literary corpus of many societies, from ancient to modern times, and Sumerian literature is no exception. However, Mesopotamian lamentation literature includes a significant body of laments belonging to a unique and almost unparalleled genre—the genre of lamentations over the destruction of cities and temples. This genre has no known ancient parallel outside the ancient Near East; more specifically, it is almost exclusively attested in Sumerian and biblical literature. The Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur is the most famous and important exemplar of the city-laments. In this updated and revised publication of the Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur, Samet provides an introductory discussion of Sumerian city-laments in general; a full presentation of the text of the Ur Lament, including transliteration, translation, and an extensive philological commentary; and an accounting of the extant textual witness in score format. Plates with color photos of many texts are included.

The Lamentation Over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur
The Lamentation Over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur

Author: Piotr Michalowski

Publisher:

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13:

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This work presents for the first time in its entirety the long Sumerian poem describing the destruction and suffering in Babylonia during the final days of the Third Dynasty of Ur. The text is both an important work of native historiography and a moving literary composition. The author's introduction places the work within the Sumerian literary tradition, and evaluates it as a historical source. Indexes and copies of unpublished texts are included.

Weapons of Words: Intertextual Competition in Babylonian Poetry
Weapons of Words: Intertextual Competition in Babylonian Poetry

Author: Selena Wisnom

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-11-04

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 9004412972

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In Weapons of Words: Intertextual Competition in Babylonian Poetry Selena Wisnom offers an in-depth literary study of three poems central to Babylonian culture: Anzû, Enūma eliš, and Erra and Išum. Fundamentally interconnected, each poem strives to out-do its predecessors and competes to establish its protagonist, its ideals, and its poetics as superior to those that came before them. The first of its kind in Assyriology, Weapons of Words explores the rich nuances of these poems by unravelling complex networks of allusion. Through a sophisticated analysis of literary techniques, Selena Wisnom traces developments in the Akkadian poetic tradition and demonstrates that intertextual readings are essential for a deeper understanding of Mesopotamian literature.

The Fall of Cities in the Mediterranean
The Fall of Cities in the Mediterranean

Author: Mary R. Bachvarova

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-02-15

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 1107031966

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This book explores some of the most prominent literary responses to the collective trauma of a fallen city.

The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy
The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy

Author: Karen Weisman

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2010-04-15

Total Pages: 736

ISBN-13: 0199228132

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The single most comprehensive study of elegy, this Handbook offers groundbreaking scholarship, historical breadth, and responds to recent exciting developments in elegy studies: the explosion in interest in elegies about AIDS, cancer, and war; the reconsideration of the role of women; and elegy's relation to ethics, philosophy, and theory.

Lamentations in Ancient and Contemporary Cultural Contexts
Lamentations in Ancient and Contemporary Cultural Contexts

Author: Nancy C. Lee

Publisher: Society of Biblical Lit

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 1589833570

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Personal tragedy and communal catastrophe up to the present day are universal human experiences that call forth lament. Lament singers--from the most ancient civilizations to traditional oral poets to the biblical psalmists and poets of Lamentations to popular singers across the globe--have always raised the cry of human suffering, giving voice to the voiceless, illuminating injustice, or pleading for divine help. This volume gathers an international collection of essays on biblical lament and Lamentations, illuminating their genres, artistry, purposes, and significant place in the history and theologies of ancient Israel. It also explores lament across cultures, both those influenced by biblical traditions and those not, as the practices of composition, performance, and interpretation of life's suffering continue to shed light on our knowledge of biblical lament. --From publisher's description.

The Sumerians
The Sumerians

Author: Samuel Noah Kramer

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2010-09-17

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 0226452328

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“A readable and up-to-date introduction to a most fascinating culture” from a world-renowned Sumerian scholar (American Journal of Archaeology). The Sumerians, the pragmatic and gifted people who preceded the Semites in the land first known as Sumer and later as Babylonia, created what was probably the first high civilization in the history of man, spanning the fifth to the second millenniums B.C. This book is an unparalleled compendium of what is known about them. Professor Kramer communicates his enthusiasm for his subject as he outlines the history of the Sumerian civilization and describes their cities, religion, literature, education, scientific achievements, social structure, and psychology. Finally, he considers the legacy of Sumer to the ancient and modern world. “An uncontested authority on the civilization of Sumer, Professor Kramer writes with grace and urbanity.” —Library Journal

For the Gods of Girsu: City-State Formation in Ancient Sumer
For the Gods of Girsu: City-State Formation in Ancient Sumer

Author: Sébastien Rey

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2016-07-10

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 1784913901

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This book demonstrates Girsu is a primary locale for re-analyzing, through an interdisciplinary approach combining archaeological and textual evidence, the origins of the Sumerian city-state.

Ur
Ur

Author: Harriet Crawford

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2015-02-26

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 1472531698

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The ancient Mesoptamian city of Ur was a Sumerian city state which flourished as a centre of trade and civilisation between 2800–2000 BCE. However, in the recent past it suffered from the disastrous Gulf war and from neglect. It still remains a potent symbol for people of all faiths and will have an important role to play in the future. This account of Ur's past looks at both the ancient city and its evolution over centuries, and its archaeological interpretation in more recent times. From the 19th century explorers and their identification of the site of Mukayyar as the Biblical city of Ur, the study proceeds to look in detail at the archaeologist Leonard Woolley and his key discoveries during the 1920s and 30s. Using the findings as a framework and utilising the latest evidence from environmental, historical and archaeological studies, the volume explores the site's past in chronological order from the Ubaid period in the 5th millennium to the death of Alexander. It looks in detail at the architectural remains: the sacred buildings, royal graves and also the private housing which provides a unique record of life 4000 years ago. The volume also describes the part played by Ur in the Gulf war and discusses the problems raised for archaeologists in the war's aftermath.